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We are a boutique web development agency Insider Media Group based in Melbourne ,Australia that builds sites and stores for Ecommerce and small business. We specialise in Shopify, Wordpress and Squarespace. Up until recently we have switched alot of our small business sites to Squarespace due to the sheer speed in getting the sites developed which in turn has meant much cheaper sites for our customers. Squarespace has some very good themes but we do some tweaking to improve some of the look and feel. They are fully responsive but without minor tweaking some font sizes can look a tad odd on mobiles.
Have a look at www.insidermedia.com.au for more inspiration on what you can do with Squarespace.

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Our Expert Opinion

Squarespace

Squarespace Introduction

Squarespace might not look like your typical web hosting company at first glance, and there's a good reason for that. Founded in 2004 in a dorm room at the University of Maryland, this content management system today offers everything a business needs to get their website up and running, from web hosting to design templates.

Services and Specializations

Squarespace, like other content management systems, offers an end-to-end publishing platform. The key difference between Squarespace and much of the competition, however, is that they include web hosting as part of their solution.

Each purchase of a Squarespace plan comes with web hosting. And as an added bonus for signing onto an annual plan, customers receive a free domain for a year.

While this unique content management solution incorporates web hosting into the plan, it is not meant for the management of multiple domains. So for anyone who needs to manage multiple domains from a single control panel, Squarespace cannot do that. You can purchase multiple websites from Squarespace and manage the billing for each (all on separate plans) from a single account, but each website needs to be managed individually.

Network

Since Squarespace isn't a standard web hosting company, there aren't a lot of specifics available regarding the datacenters or network infrastructure. That being said, they do offer some insights into the overall reliability of their network.

For instance, the same infrastructure is used to power their entire network of websites. This includes Squarespace's website, the website that receives a million hits a day, and the brand new small business website. They also state that plugins are not needed to optimize websites that run on the Squarespace CMS as caching, load balancing, and website optimization are built-in.

Security and Backups

Similar to the information available regarding their network, Squarespace's security and backup information isn't as robust as you'd expect to see with a typical web host.

Regarding backups, Squarespace stores a copy of every website on their network on their primary servers as well as on a secondary set of standby servers.

In terms of security, Squarespace states the following: "We use numerous methods to protect our customers, including regular security scans to maintain our PCI DSS compliance, and use of industry-developed and proprietary tools to guard against potential intruders, DDoS attacks, and other vulnerabilities."

For website owners who need a guarantee of backup, security, and server monitoring, you may need to speak with a Squarespace representative personally as there is no other information provided on the website regarding this matter.

Uptime Guarantee

According to the Squarespace website: "Although no platform can guarantee 100% uptime, we have a stellar reputation for serving high-traffic sites."

As far as we can tell, there is no official uptime guarantee available on their website. The closest thing you'll get to acknowledging an issue with uptime is through their service status page.

Billing and Payment Policies

Squarespace's pricing plans are simple and take into account the total end-to-end solution. There are four options: one for personal websites, one for business websites, one for basic online stores, and one for advanced online stores. Web hosting, domain, SSL, support, and everything else you'll need to build and run a store are included.

Squarespace's terms of payment are equally straightforward. What you see is what you get. All monthly fees are clearly laid out on their Pricing page. In addition, they don't require long-term contracts or surprise users with charges down the road.

There are two things customers should pay attention to with regards to this. First, Squarespace reserves the right to change their pricing at any time. And second, refunds are not issued if services are cancelled.

Support and Customer Service

This is where Squarespace shines. Their comprehensive contact and support services include 24/7 email support, 60-minute response times, knowledgebase, community-led Q&A, as well as live chat support Monday through Friday.

Summary

If you're a business owner looking for a total end-to-end publishing platform for your website, then Squarespace is one solution you may want to look into. Their content management system includes everything you might need to build a website and keep it running, including hosting.

It's important to keep in mind, however, that Squarespace is primarily a content management system. Because of this, you won't receive an uptime guarantee, a well-documented security or backup plan, nor will you be able to efficiently manage multiple domains from a single control panel.

So, while Squarespace is economical and practical for an individual trying to run a single site, it might not have the power and features needed by more demanding customers.

Last updated: 2017-07-30

Squarespace Hosting Plans

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Hosting Plan

Features

Disk Space

Bandwidth

Price

Website

Instant ActivationImage24/7 SupportFree Shopping Cart

Unlimited

Unlimited

$12.00/month

Usual price:

One-page

Instant Activation24/7 Support

Unlimited

Unlimited

$5.00/month

Usual price:

Homepage

Squarespace Frequently Asked Questions

Can I buy a domain through Squarespace?

You can purchase a domain through Squarespace if you sign up for one of their website plans. Customers who sign up for any of their annual plans are entitled to one free domain.

Can I use an existing domain with Squarespace?

Yes, you can connect your Squarespace website to a third-party domain.

Can I transfer my existing website to Squarespace?

At this time it's not possible to transfer an existing website over to Squarespace. The only content that can be imported is blog content from platforms like WordPress, Blogger, and Tumblr or products from Shopify and Big Cartel.

Can I host an email account with Squarespace?

Squarespace doesn't provide email hosting but you can sign up for G Suite (formerly Google Apps) using their platform. Customers who purchase Website Business, Basic Commerce, and Advanced Commerce plans are eligible for a free year of G Suite apps for one user.

What ecommerce features does Squarespace support?

Their ecommerce features include inventory tracking, order management, tax, shipping, coupon controls, and more. You can accept payments through Stripe and PayPal and you can also accept credit card payments directly to your bank account.

Can I upload a third-party design to Squarespace?

Squarespace doesn't allow uploading third-party templates to websites hosted on their platform. You can, however, activate the Developer's platform to get full access to the template's code which you can modify if you have coding knowledge.

Is Squarespace free?

No, Squarespace's services are not free, but their cheapest plans are reasonably priced.

What payment options does Squarespace accept?

They accept all major credit cards. Monthly and annual plans are available and you get a small discount if you sign up for an annual plan.

Does Squarespace` offer a money-back guarantee?

If you sign up for an annual plan, you can request a refund within 14 days of your purchase. Monthly plans aren't eligible for a refund.

Does Squarespace offer an uptime guarantee?

There is no specific mention of an uptime guarantee, however the company claims to use a high-availability and high-capacity infrastructure.

Can I download Squarespace and host it somewhere else?

No, Squarespace is a fully hosted platform.

Does Squarespace provide an SSL certificate?

Yes, each plan includes a free SSL certificate.

Does Squarespace allow unlimited storage and bandwidth?

Yes, all Squarespace plans include unlimited storage and bandwidth.

Can I host audio and video on my Squarespace account?

You can upload and host audio files directly on your website. Videos have to be embedded from a video hosting website like YouTube or Vimeo.

How do I change my Squarespace domain?

You can change the primary domain associated with your account at any time once you've registered it. Simply log into your Squarespace account, add the domain in the Domains screen, select it, and select the option to make it the primary domain. Once that's done, Squarespace will show that domain as the main domain for your site. You can leave your old domain as a custom domain, and visitors will be redirected to the new primary domain, or you can remove it if you prefer.

How many times can you extend a Squarespace trial?

Trials can be extended at the discretion of customer services. After your first 14-day trial is over, one extension of 7 days is allowed. You can extend your trial by clicking the link in the email notification when your original 14-day trial expires.

How much does SquareSpace charge for each transaction?

Transactions fees vary between zero and 3%, depending on the Squarespace plan you've chosen. You'll find a full guide to transaction fees on the Squarespace website.

How do I cancel my Squarespace account?

In your Squarespace Settings, locate the Billing & Account screen. Click Cancel Trial. Or, if you want to cancel a paid account, select Subscriptions, then Website, and select the one you want to cancel from the list. Squarespace does not provide refunds for cancelled accounts after the first 14 days of paid service.